IN-VIVO INFORMATION ACQUISITION APPARATUS AND IN-VIVO INFORMATION ACQUISITION APPARATUS SYSTEM

• US 20090124872A1
• Filed: 02/05/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Uchiyama, Akio, Takizawa, Hironobu, Karasawa, Ryo
• Granted Patent: US 8,343,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/302
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/273 for the upper alimentary canal, e.g. oesophagoscopes, gastroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/31 for the rectum, e.g. proctoscopes, sigmoidoscopes , colonoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14503 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter or needle or using implanted sensors A61B5/1459, A61B5/1464, A61B5/1473, A61B5/1482, A61B5/14865 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6884 Clamps or clips

Abstract

There is provided an in-vivo information acquisition apparatus capable of detecting high-accuracy in-vivo information substantially at the same time in a plurality of different examination sites in a body cavity and an in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system capable of introducing a plurality of in-vivo information acquisition apparatuses into a patient at the same time. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus includes a specimen-collecting section for collecting a specimen at an examination site in a body cavity, a specimen-evaluating section for evaluating the specimen collected by the specimen-collecting section and outputting an evaluation result, a labeling section having identification information unique to the in-vivo information acquisition apparatus, a communication section for receiving a signal transmitted from the outside and for transmitting to the outside the evaluation result output by the specimen-evaluating section, and a power supply section for supplying electrical power.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. An in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system comprising;

an in-vivo information acquisition apparatus for acquiring in-vivo information at an examination site in a body cavity;

a capsule medical apparatus having a function for storing the in-vivo information acquisition apparatus and releasing the in-vivo information acquisition apparatus at the examination site;

an external antenna arranged outside a body to transmit and receive a signal to and from the in-vivo information acquisition apparatus;

an external apparatus that acquires a signal transmitted by the in-vivo information acquisition apparatus from the external antenna and has an identifying section for identifying the identification information possessed by a labeling section arranged inside the in-vivo information acquisition apparatus; and

an external control section provided in the external apparatus to transmit a common control signal to a plurality of the in-vivo information acquisition apparatuses.

19. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 18, wherein

the capsule medical apparatus includes a storage section for storing a plurality of the in-vivo information acquisition apparatuses;

a release unit for releasing the in-vivo information acquisition apparatuses from the storage section to the outside; and

a control section for controlling the release unit.

20. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 18, wherein the capsule medical apparatus includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the number of in-vivo information acquisition apparatuses to be released.

21. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 18, wherein

the capsule medical apparatus includes a timer;

and

the capsule medical apparatus releases the in-vivo information acquisition apparatus to the outside at a desired time based on time information of the timer.

22. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 19, wherein the release unit releases the in-vivo information acquisition apparatuses in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the capsule medical apparatus.

23. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 22, wherein

the release unit includes a disc-shaped rotatable cam that has a projection and a cutout;

and

a boundary between the projection and the cutout is S shaped.

24. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 22, wherein the release unit includes an electromagnetic solenoid.

25. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 19, wherein the storage section includes an electrical connection for supplying electrical power to the in-vivo information acquisition apparatuses.

26. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 19, wherein the capsule medical apparatus includes a plurality of the storage sections.

27. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 18, further comprising:

a position-detecting section provided in at least one of the capsule medical apparatus and the external apparatus to detect a location of the in-vivo information acquisition apparatus in a body, wherein the capsule medical apparatus releases the in-vivo information acquisition apparatus based on the location information of the capsule medical apparatus acquired by the position-detecting section.

28. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 27, wherein

the position-detecting section includes an imaging section provided in the capsule medical apparatus;

and

a first determining section provided in the external apparatus to determine a location of the capsule medical apparatus based on image information acquired by the imaging section.

29. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 27, wherein

the position-detecting section includes a wireless communication antenna provided in the capsule medical apparatus;

and

a second determining section provided in the external apparatus to determine a location of the capsule medical apparatus based on the intensity of electromagnetic waves transmitted by the wireless communication antenna.

30. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 27, wherein the position-detecting section includes:

a magnetic-field generating section provided in the capsule medical apparatus;

an external magnetic sensor arranged outside a subject; and

a third determining section provided in the external apparatus to determine the location of the capsule medical apparatus based on a vector of a magnetic field generated by the magnetic-field generating section.

31. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 27, wherein the position-detecting section includes a pH sensor provided in the capsule medical apparatus to detect the location based on a pH value detected by the pH sensor.

32. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 18, wherein the external control section is a communication control section for controlling the communication section.

33. The in-vivo information acquisition apparatus system according to claim 18, wherein the external control section is a specimen-evaluation control section for controlling the specimen-evaluating section.